Major step forward for Sahlgrenska Life

The Sahlgrenska Life project entails three new buildings that will physically link Sahlgrenska University Hospital, one of Europe’s largest university hospitals, with the Medical Faculty at University of Gothenburg, Sahlgrenska Academy, and the Faculty of Science and Technology.

The aim is to create a world-leading translational environment for research, education, care and innovation. The new buildings will host laboratories, clinical training, advanced care units, and modern education environments.

“Work on Sahlgrenska Life is moving forward quickly. It’s an intense and exciting phase. Stakeholders from healthcare, academia, and industry are now working closely together to shape the future of healthcare and research - and create something that will make a real difference,” said Boubou Hallberg, CEO of Sahlgrenska University Hospital, to the online magazine Sahlgrenskaliv.

According to Sahlgrenska University Hospital, the new research environments will be crucial for developments in precision medicine and Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products, ATMPs.

Through Sahlgrenska Life, we are creating optimal environments for developing advanced treatments, enabling precision medicine, and transforming new discoveries into tangible benefits for patients, said Boubou Hallberg.

Illustration: Sweco Arkitema

'Will have both national and international impact'

The property development unit of Region Västra Götaland - which is responsible for healthcare in western Sweden - is currently constructing the first building in the project and plays a major role in preparing for the upcoming procurement of an external landlord for buildings two and three within the Sahlgrenska Life project.

“We are excited to be part of this major life science project. We see it not only as a significant step for Sahlgrenska University Hospital but for the entire region - and ultimately, it will have both national and international impact,” says Ior Berglund, administrative director at Region Västra Götaland for the property development unit Fastighet, Stöd och Service.

The first building will house a new intensive care unit, premises for laboratory medicine to support the entire region, a surgical department, ambulance bay, modern emergency department, and a helicopter landing facility with two landing pads built according to NATO standards.

There is an initial concept for the intended functions of buildings two and three, but the plans will be shaped by dialogue with the new landlord, departments within Region Västra Götaland and the University of Gothenburg.

“This project [Sahlgrenska Life] strengthens our ability to meet rapid advances in medical research and innovation while creating long-term environments that attract students, researchers, and external partners,” said Professor Jenny Nyström, Dean of Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg to Sahlgrenskaliv.

About Sahlgrenska Life

Building 1: approximately 61,000 sqm and 9 floors. Includes a new intensive care unit, surgical department and emergency department, and premises.

Building 2: approximately 8,000 sqm and 3 floors. The building also serves as a connector and skyway over the road Per Dubbsgatan, between buildings 1 and 3.

Building 3: approximately 55,000 sqm, 23 floors.

An aerial photo of Campus Medicinareberget in Gothenburg. Photo: Akademiska Hus

A growing and centrally located life science cluster

Apart from Sahlgrenska Life, the broader Medicinareberget area is being planned and transformed into an integrated life science district in central Gothenburg.

“Medicinareberget is one of the few places where a leading university, a university hospital and an innovative business community meet right in the city centre. Our ambition is to offer life science companies room to grow - from startup to headquarters - with access to cutting-edge labs, partners and talent on their doorstep,” says Pontus Isaksson, Property Area Manager at Akademiska Hus, which develops and manages premises for Swedish universities and colleges.

The goal is to create a compact cluster where companies gain immediate proximity to world-class research at the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers University of Technology, the Nordics’ largest university hospital, and a critical mass of students, researchers and clinicians – all within walking distance.

Already today, including the Chalmers campus, the area gathers nearly 300 healthtech companies, 3,400 researchers and PhD students, 7,700 healthcare professionals, 20,000 university students and Sahlgrenska Science Park, which accelerates innovation and company growth.

This illustration shows a future vision for Medicinareberget. The final design will be determined through future planning decisions. Illustration: White Arkitekter and Akademiska Hus

An attractive environment for healthcare innovators

New infrastructure is further strengthening the cluster and creating new opportunities for companies. The long-term development plans for the area are substantial.

Natrium, a 28,000 sqm building completed in 2023, brings together the University of Gothenburg’s faculties of science and technology and strengthens the research base around which companies can co-locate.

In 2024, Akademiska Hus and Sahlgrenska Science Park opened Health Innovation Labs, 2,400 sqm of shared laboratories and office space for healthtech startups and SMEs needing advanced infrastructure without full-scale in-house labs. Today, around 20 companies are already based there.

By 2026, the renovation of the 6,400 sqm Zoologen building will be finalised, adding new laboratories and office spaces for established and growing life science companies.

According to Akademiska Hus, in the long-term there is potential for 240,000 sqm of new development, including flexible life science premises, education and research facilities, as well as housing for students, researchers and other residents, and local services.

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